The California Angels: A Scouting Report

Outtakes went to 20 talent agents and casting directors, asking them to envision the new Angels.

Some suggestions:

Portray them as active, busy women, said Mary Buck, Buck/Edelman Casting. “Women of the ‘80s, my perception is they’re doing everything. They have careers, they have babies, they take care of themselves emotionally and physically.”

They should project “a sense of their own authority and autonomy,” said talent agent Hilary Shor, Flick East/West Talent. “I mean, wouldn’t it be funny if they had a punk angel and a political radical angel and a yuppie angel?”

Dress them in contemporary styles, advised designer Nolan Miller, the Spelling Productions costume designer who creates the outfits on “Dynasty” (and has his own line): “If I had my druthers, I probably would do cashmere sweaters and pants, suede pants and short suede jackets and something soft like crepe de Chine to show off their figures.”

Give them modern hairdos--”whatever’s hip and happening. These are going to be trend-setting women. Remember what happened to the Farrah Fawcett hair style?,” said Raphael Berko, owner of Media Artists Group.

“Their attractiveness should not necessarily be cosmetic. Maybe they can be allowed to look a little less glamorous, a little more real. Give them their frumpy days,” said “Cagney & Lacey” casting director Diane Dimeo.

And one casting director quipped, “They would only have to wear swimsuits or skimpy costumes every other week vs. every week.” Moreover, they’d have less hair and “they wouldn’t be concerned with their lip gloss.” (The casting director asked not to be identified.)

They offered (and we paraphrased) some other casting ideas on what would constitute with-it Angels:

A tomboy. A redhead with a very, short, almost boyish haircut. Almost like a bob. Fair-skinned, 5-6, 115 pounds. A mood dresser. Very outgoing. Wears men’s shirts and jeans and almost no makeup. Would never be glamorous.

A sharp black woman with a trendy short haircut--”more like Michael Jackson’s,” one model-talent agent said. 5-8, 125 pounds. Clothed in below-the-knees Anne Klein skirts, silk blouses in earth tones and sensible pumps. Good sense of humor.

A tall body-builder with straight dark brown hair in a pageboy, 5-10, 135 pounds. Pretty, but sort of masculine-looking. Intimidates men because she’s so strong. Wears lot of handcrafted bulky, silver jewelry. Wears bulky button-down blouses and below-the-knee skirts. Lives in a spacious, old apartment like out of “Casablanca” with arched doorways.

A Grace-Jones type. New wave. Ultra contemporary. Hip. Sports leather suits and dresses.

A tall, ash-blonde ice queen. Very corporate. Wears tailored suits and hats. The demolitions and weapons expert.

A chic, sophisticated Eurasian with shining, black, hair to the middle of her back, 5-9, 120 pounds. Wears bright colors and tasteful, tailored cuts. A good-looking Connie Chung type.

A 6-foot blonde with long, straight hair. Wholesome. As all-American as you can get. Casual and sweet. Somebody you want to take home to mom. Not like Farrah Fawcett. More like a Goldie Hawn type.

A high fashion black woman, 5-9. Real hot. Streetwise and smart like Oprah Winfrey. But looks like Jayne Kennedy. Very intelligent and determined.

An All-American redhead or auburn-haired woman from Texas. The computer hacker of the group. She cracks the black-collar crime cases.

A fiery, long, dark-haired mysterious-looking woman. Possibly Italian, 5-8, 120 pounds. Has a Connie Selleca, conservative, business-like look, wearing dark suits and pale-colored silk blouses.

A blonde with a cropped haircut like a man. Wears pantsuits. Is the frump of group.

Several people advised us that the new Angels shouldn’t run through fields anymore in spiked heels. And, said one casting director, they shouldn’t chase the bad guys wearing bikinis.